Six people in hospital this morning after gigantic King Tide swept them off of South Pointe boardwalk and into government cut. How scary is that? Click on video below.

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The land of paradise wasn’t so idyllic the last few days. Florida got hit with a hurricane, called Ian that knocked out power to more than 1.8 million residents. That wasn’t even the most disturbing part. Just imagine living for hours with storm winds of 155 miles that spread 50 miles out. You are freaking out and you have no where to run.

That’s exactly what happened in Cayo Costa, Florida, a small island on the Gulf Coast near Cape Coral and Fort Myers. We hear the area has been completely ripped apart by the catastrophic winds and storm surges that reached 18 feet high. At this point, these popular and often admired sections of Florida are unlivable and will be for a long period of time. It’s difficult to comprehend.

I recently read that Ian “is now tied with seven other storms for fifth place in highest recorded sustained wind at landfall in the United States. Charley was another hurricane record breaker that hit the same section of Florida in 2004. 

That’s the scariest part of living in Florida. While it doesn’t happen often, you go from living an active life outdoors year round with the most magnificent sunsets and gorgeous beaches, to monstrous storms that are totally life threatening. We hold our breath every summer to the end of October when hurricanes usually strike. Please, not this year. 

Unfortunately, Ian was a doozy. Please help Florida recover. Many of our Three Tomatoes readers visit Florida at least once or twice a year. You know how magnificent it is. If you can, we would appreciate a token of your affection for the state. Send your love to https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation.html/.

Here’s to the sunshine,

Lois Whitman-Hess

Miami Life Editor